It is known that foot wounds in diabetic patients represent a significant public health problem throughout the world. Treatment of such wounds has been focused on amputation and not on limb salvage, as many of the wounds have not been properly treated. Improper treatment can be attributed to lack of an easy treatment method and inconvenience to the patient in using current methods. There is a need to prevent amputation by healing such wounds at an early stage.
Foot wounds in patients with diabetes develop because of a process called neuropathy. Diabetes causes loss of sensation such that skin injury and complete breakdown (ulcer) can develop with no or minimal pain. These wounds tend not to heal because of ongoing mechanical trauma not felt at all by the patient as painful. Such wounds can only be healed by protecting them from mechanical trauma. Small plantar ulcers in diabetic patients are usually seen by primary care practitioners and endocrinologists. The present method for healing plantar ulcers is a total contact cast for the foot, which provides complete mechanical protection. This method is not ideally suited for either of these practice settings, because it requires skilled and specialized care in application, along with frequent follow up. Most patients perceive the cast to be an inconvenience at the early stages of such a wound, while perceiving that such a wound is not serious matter. The alternative to the cast is to ask the patient to be non-weight bearing through the use of a wheelchair, crutches, or a walker, which provide complete mechanical protection only with complete patient compliance. This alternative rarely proves to be effective in healing wounds within a reasonable time period, due to human nature.
What is needed is a treatment that primary care physicians or their staff can employ to treat ulcers and other wounds on the feet. Also, what is needed is a treatment that allows patients to be able to continue their active lives when they have a foot wound, yet promotes healing of the wound. Unfortunately, due to human nature, the perceived insult and inconvenience of using healing methods that are currently available is sufficient to discourage their use by the patient.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a wound healing system which reduces mechanical load on a wound.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a wound healing system which is easy to employ by medical personnel.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a wound healing system in which will not be rejected by the patient.
The present invention is a wound healing system and method of use to address the healing of wounds found on a foot of a patient. The wound healing system provides an apparatus and method of protecting and healing foot wounds, especially foot ulcers of diabetic patients. The wound healing system includes a load relieving dressing, foot pad and a dressing opening. The load relieving dressing is attached to an area about the wound of the foot, whereby the load relieving dressing provides support to the foot in the area and relieves load on the wound. The foot pad fits into footwear. The dressing opening is in the foot pad and is sized to securely receive the load relieving dressing.